Sacrifice
by InfernoUnleashed
Summary: In an alternate HP universe, Ron and Hermione are attending Hogwarts for their 7th year, having been left behind by Harry in the search for horcruxes. But their plans to escape the castle are halted when Hermione is forced to make a deal with Malfoy, one she will deeply regret. Currently a one-shot, might be expanded based on popularity. Rated M for future chapters, if continued.


**SACRIFICE**

Hermione stared solemnly out the window of the Hogwarts Express. They weren't supposed to be going back this year—she, Harry, and Ron were supposed to all be out there searching for horcruxes together. That had always been the plan the entire summer, and he had gone and ruined it.

"Hey," said a soft voice to her left, and she turned away from the window to face her red-headed friend. He smiled weakly at her and offered a chocolate frog.

"Not hungry," she responded, her voice even.

He sighed and withdrew his hand. "What do you think we should do, Herm?"

"We've done everything we can," she said, defeated. "He doesn't want to be found, and I've tried everything I know to find him."

"So we won't be with him every step of the way," he said, searching for a way to cheer her up. "That was his choice. But he can't stop us from helping anyway."

"Go after them ourselves?" Hermione confirmed.

Ron nodded. "You said one of them might be in Hogwarts, right? Well what better way to help than to figure it out and destroy it for him? Once we've done that, we can leave the school and look for the others."

Hermione sighed. Yes, that was what they were going to do, but it still didn't make her feel better about the situation. She didn't like thinking about Harry being out there alone with no one to help and protect him. She knew that Ron was feeling the exact same way, and the two friends fell into a worried silence.

Just as Ron was about to start up a conversation, the door to the compartment opened and Ginny walked in followed by Luna and Neville. Hermione and Ron did their best to look cheerful, but failed miserably.

"Mind if we join you?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"Not at all, Gin," Hermione answered, in reality just wanting to talk and plan with Ron. The three others seemed to be able to sense this, but having already entered the compartment they couldn't very well leave now.

The five of them were silent for a few minutes before Ginny started up a game of Exploding Snap. Just as Ron and Hermione were starting to relax and enjoy themselves, the compartment door opened again, this time with a much less friendly face in the doorway.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron blurted out, immediately standing and reaching for his wand.

"Relax, Weasley," Malfoy said in his usual oily tone. "I'm just here to fetch Granger."

"You'll leave her alone," Ron said threateningly, instinctively blocking Hermione from view.

"The headmaster wants to see her," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll even leave now and let her come on her own if you'd like."

Ron simply glared at him in response until the door was closed again. The room was completely silent for a moment until Hermione stood and picked up her bag.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ron said, alarmed, as he grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"To see the headmaster, whoever he is," Hermione responded, shaking him off and leaving the compartment.

"What if it's some kind of trap?" he demanded, following her into the hall.

"It's not, Ronald," Hermione said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm Head Girl!" she exclaimed, rounding on him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't think we'd be coming back here! But while we are, I'm going to fulfill my duties, and they have nothing to do with _you_, understand?"

Ron gaped at her as she turned on her heels and marched away, full of frustration towards both of her friends. She knew that both of them meant well—Harry with leaving and Ron with defending her—but they were both going about it the wrong way. She didn't _need _to be protected by them; yes, she appreciated having them around and she relied on them, but she wasn't a weak person who needed to be sheltered all the time. Just like everyone else, she needed her independence, and she wasn't going to get it with Ron hanging over her shoulder all day.

Though she did appreciate it. How many people could honestly say that there were two people out there in the world who would give their life for them? She only knew two people aside from herself that could say that without a doubt, but who at the same time would _never _think about letting her be in any pain for them. She felt like they both sacrificed so much for her and each other and would never let her help them in the same way. Maybe it was because she was a girl, or maybe it was just because they both cared about her so much, but they always treated her as something that could be easily broken and tried to keep her away from any sharp edges.

She calmed her emotions as she approached the front of the train where she knew there was a fireplace connected to the floo network. She was assuming that the headmaster was either already here or that he would come shortly, or if not there would be someone inside directing her to use the floo network to travel to the school. She knocked politely on the door, not wanting to burst in just in case, and was shocked at who opened it.

"Hello, Miss Granger," said Snape in his usual greasy tone. "Won't you come in?"

Hermione didn't move. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Have you not heard?" he said, raising his eyebrows mockingly. "I'm the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Now I would like to speak with you and Mr. Malfoy inside, if you don't mind."

Hermione looked over his shoulder to see Draco already there, sitting smugly on a couch. Of course he would be made Head Boy if Snape really was the headmaster, but that wasn't what was bothering her. It was the fact that Voldemort had so obviously taken over the entire Ministry of Magic, and now the school as well.

"Are you going to have me stand in this doorway forever?" Snape asked in a warning tone.

Almost mechanically, Hermione stepped inside, every fragment of her being telling her to run instead. Malfoy's grin turned into a smug smirk as the door closed behind her and Snape returned to his seat opposite the couch Malfoy was lounging on.

"Sit," Snape ordered, motioning to the empty spot to the right of Malfoy. Hermione begrudgingly did so, wondering if Ron was right and this was some sort of trap.

"We are going to be making quite a few changes this year," he said, his lips curving upward. "Changes that I will need your help to implement."

"What if I refuse to help?" Hermione suddenly blurted out, surprised by her own daring.

The corners of Snape's mouth curved upward even more still. "Don't worry, Miss Granger, nothing I ask you to do will be in any way hard for you to agree with. I simply want a few changes made in how we maintain the rules around here. No, it doesn't have anything to do with torture," he added at the look on her face. "I'm a schoolmaster, not a prison guard."

Hermione scoffed at this statement rather loudly, but Snape seemed to ignore it. _But you are a murderer_, she thought menacingly, not quite brave enough to say it out loud.

"First, everyone must be in their common rooms by eight each evening," he began, and proceeded to go over a long list of completely new and useless rules that Hermione had no intention of enforcing if she could afford it.

"What I need from you," he continued, jerking Hermione from her nap, "is for you to enforce these rules when you see them being disobeyed. Other than that, the two of you will have daily meetings—you work it out with your schedule—and will report to me individually once a week. If you see any changes that need to be made, they will be discussed and considered. You will have your first meeting tonight after the beginning of the year feast, and will meet with me together on Saturday night in my office. Is that all clear to you?"

"Yes, Sir," Malfoy said, trying to sound as respectful as possible as he held back the laughter threatening to burst out at Hermione's expression. There was no way she was going to spend an hour of each day talking to Malfoy when she _knew _there was no point in it. What did Snape really hope to gain from them seeing each other every day?

And then it hit her. How had she been so blind to the situation? They were obviously hoping to that by making her meet with Malfoy once a day, they would be able to keep an eye on her activities. They were trying to keep her in check, to keep their eye on her, see if they could gather any information on what Harry knew and what he was searching for. Her face turned red as she realized this, and she saw Snape's smile spread into a toothy grin.

"So I'll leave you two to work out where you're going to meet," he said as he stood. With a swish of his cloak he turned away from them and stepped into the fireplace, saying "Headmaster's Office," and disappeared in a flash of green flames.

"So, Granger," Malfoy said, his voice full of mirth, "how should we work out these daily meetings?"

Hermione held her breath for a moment to stop herself from blowing up at him, then struggled to get any words out of her mouth due to the amount of anger she was feeling. "Let's decide that tonight," she finally managed to say, standing purposely. "We'll find each other in the Great Hall after the feast is over and find an empty classroom to meet in."

Before he could say anything in response, she was out the door and rushing down the hall, ignoring the strange looks she received from those inside the open compartments. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to grab Ron and run, but in the back of her mind she kept thinking of the possibility of one of the horcruxes being at Hogwarts. Something inside wouldn't let her run from the situation no matter how badly she wanted to, because she knew that Voldemort wouldn't be defeated unless each and every horcrux was destroyed.

She sighed when she reached their compartment. How was she going to tell them that Voldemort had taken over the school? How were they all going to react when she said that she was still going to be Head Girl, pretend like she was playing into their hands? Ron would be furious, that she was sure of. But he would be even _more _furious if he found out when they arrived at the school and she didn't tell him before. With a deep breath, she opened the compartment door to face four worried faces.

* * *

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard, Hermione."

"Why?" she groaned.

"Malfoy may be thick, but he's not _that _thick," Ron said matter-of-factly. "He's trying to get information from you, he's not going to let you weasel it out of him."

"You forget who you're talking to, Ronald," she said with a smirk.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger like that. We're leaving as soon as we've destroyed that bloody horcrux."

"I never said we weren't," she said in agreement. "But until then we might as well see what else we can learn to help Harry—"

"_No_," he said, taking a hold of her hands. "You are _not _going to take any risks. You are going to play by the rules, not give anything away, and only see Malfoy when it is absolutely necessary. Are you sure you can't decline your position as Head Girl?"

She shook her head. "I signed a contract at the beginning of the summer. If I'm at the school, I'm Head Girl."

"Then maybe you should leave altogether," he said pleadingly. "I can take care of things here—"

"Stop treating me like a baby!" she exclaimed, ripping her hands out of his. If the carriage hadn't been so small, she would have stood and crossed to the opposite side, but as it was it wouldn't have made much of a difference in the space between them.

"I don't mean to," he sighed. "I just don't want to lose you."

Hermione said nothing in response, again feeling useless. Whenever she came up with a plan where she herself was in danger, it was immediately shot down. But if Harry or Ron were putting themselves in danger, they would almost immediately accept it. All she wanted was a chance to do her part, to do more than just planning and research. Why wouldn't they let her?

The carriage stopped, and Ron and Hermione climbed out of either side. Though she wasn't exactly happy with him at the moment, Hermione still stayed close to her friend as they approached the school. They may fight all the time, but Ron and Hermione had a special bond that couldn't be broken no matter what stood in their way. No matter how many times they told each other a day that they hated each other, they would always know that the other cared for them very much. That was probably why they were so hard on each other all the time.

They received many stares from their fellow Gryffindors, who had dwindled in number, as they sat down at the table together. Some were wondering where Harry was while others were wondering why the two of them weren't with him. Hermione and Ron did their best to ignore them and pretend that there was nothing wrong with their presence there, but were both extremely uncomfortable. They _shouldn't _be at Hogwarts. They should be somewhere out there with Harry.

Looking at the high table, Hermione couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding for the rest of the year. Not only was Snape the headmaster, but there were two new members of the staff that she recognized as having fought for Voldemort during the battle at the end of the previous year. Ron realized this too and they shared a knowing look. The sooner the two of them got out of the castle the better.

After the hall was nearly full (there were a fair few Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs who had not returned to the school this year), Professor McGonagall entered the hall, trailing the first years behind her. Hermione frowned as she watched them approach the front of the room. The Hogwarts they were going to be introduced to was not the amazing, wonderful, magical world she had come to know. They were coming into a prison to be manipulated and abused by the death eaters, and some of them apparently knew it. Ron squeezed her hand under the table knowingly, both of them completely appalled at what was becoming of the wonderful castle they had had their first adventure in.

Once everyone was sorted (almost all of the first year students were sorted into Slytherin, because those were the only families willing to let their children come to Hogwarts now), Snape stood to say a few words. Silence immediately overcame everyone in the hall as they stared at him, many of them with looks that could kill. He had murdered their previous headmaster, and now he had been given control over the school by the governors.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he said dryly, causing Hermione to flinch. "To those of you who have spent the last few years here, the faculty and I are delighted to report that there are going to be quite a few changes in the curriculum this year, changes that have been needed for quite some time now."

The entire room held its breath. Ron squeezed Hermione's hand again.

"First, we have some new teachers to introduce," he continued. "Professor Amycus Carrow will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, seeing as I am no longer available for the post."

"More like just the Dark Arts," Seamus Finnigan muttered to multiple nods from his peers.

"And his sister, Professor Alecto Carrow, will be our new Muggle Studies teacher," he continued, motioning to the woman on his right. Hermione felt her heart sink as she wondered what had happened to Professor Charity Burbage, but Snape apparently wasn't going to share that information with the student body.

"As you will notice when you receive your schedules tomorrow, Muggle Studies is now a compulsory subject," he said, and the surprised gasps and outbursts were much less than they would have been had Dumbledore been the one to make the announcement, mostly because so many students were scared of Snape. "I believe that you will all find the new curriculum very enlightening and it will help you learn more about the world outside this castle."

Ron was squeezing Hermione's hand so hard now that she slapped him in order to make him let go. Both of them were feeling more hatred towards this man than they ever thought possible. It was clear from a perusal of the high table that those teachers who were remaining from previous years felt the same way, but were too scared to know what to do about it. As the food appeared on the tables, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, each of their minds set.

"We leave tonight," Ron whispered.

Hermione nodded. "Right after I meet with Malfoy."

Ron moaned. "Why do we have to wait that long?"

"So they don't head us off," she explained. "So they _think _we're going to be staying here."

Ron muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "good point" before turning his attention to his food. Wordlessly, they communicated that Ron would get their things together (Ginny would bring Hermione's down) and wait for her in the common room. As soon as Hermione was through pretending to cooperate with Malfoy, the two of them would leave the school through one of the many secret passageways out.

Too soon, the feast ended, and everyone except Hermione and Malfoy shuffled off to their houses. The two of them locked eyes and Malfoy motioned for her to follow him. With one last look at Ron, Hermione abandoned the rest of the Gryffindors and followed the Slytherin through the halls and into one of the many unused classrooms in the school on the first floor.

"All right," she said when the door was closed, setting down her bag. "What are we supposed to decide tonight?"

"When we're going to have our daily meetings," Malfoy said, still smirking that same obnoxious smirk.

"What time would you prefer?" she asked, wanting to make this meeting as short as possible.

He shrugged. "It's up to you, Granger."

She resisted the urge to glare at him. "How about right after dinner in the evenings?"

"Sounds fantastic," he said in response, and before he had finished the 'c' on the end of the word, Hermione was out the door and up the first flight of stairs.

When she reached the third flight, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had left her bag.

She cursed herself a thousand times as she flew down the stairs, heart pumping louder than it possibly ever had. If he had started looking through her things, if he saw that they were looking for the horcruxes, that they knew about them—

She threw open the door to the room and looked around wildly for her bag. It was exactly where she left it. She immediately grabbed it and started emptying the contents. There were all of her books, her personal supplies, her journal, and three notebooks.

She had had four.

In a fury, she grabbed all three of them and opened them to the first page, finding notes on everything _but _horcruxes.

"Looking for this?"

She whirled around to see him holding her fourth notebook, a sly smile on his face. Hermione panicked and her hand went immediately to her wand.

"Don't even think about it," he said menacingly. "If you modify my memory, I'll just have Goyle show me the copy I made. He's waiting in the Slytherin common room just in case I come back not remembering anything about them. And if you were to _kill _me, which you wouldn't, he would still have the proof that you are looking for horcruxes, even if the great oaf doesn't understand it."

"What do you want?" she said breathlessly.

He smirked. "Depends on how badly you want me to forget."

"I want you to give the notebook back to me, destroy the copy you made, and erase the incident from Goyle's memory," she said, her heart thumping.

Malfoy made a 'tsk' sound with his tongue. "That's quite a lot to ask, Miss Granger."

"What do you want?" she repeated simply.

She was prepared for him to come up with something absolutely horrible but was ready to accept almost anything to keep their secret safe. She didn't think it was possible for him to come up with an option she would refuse, or that one even existed, but when he opened his mouth hers dropped to the floor in shock and disgust.

"What do you say, Granger?" he said, a wicked grin on his disgusting face.

"You foul git," she said slightly under her breath. "_Never_."

He shrugged dramatically and placed the notebook on a desk. "I guess I'll just go back to my dorm now and bring that copy to the Dark Lord. I'm sure he would be very interested in it."

Hermione stood rooted to the spot as Malfoy started to exit the room, thinking quickly. She _couldn't _let him share this information with Voldemort under any circumstances…

"Wait!" she called out as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Malfoy turned slowly to face her and the expression on his face made her want to punch him more than she ever had before, which was really saying something.

"Yes?" he asked, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Her entire body was shaking, but she ignored it. "I need to be sure that you will carry out your end of the bargain, that you won't even _hint _that we know anything about horcruxes to anyone."

"I'm assuming my word wouldn't be enough for you," he said, the same note of laughter in his voice as he crossed his arms.

"Unbreakable Vow," Hermione said simply, hardly believing she was about to do this.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised himself by her choice. "Well, if we're raising the stakes," he said, taking a step forward. "Whenever, wherever, and however I tell you, understand?"

Hermione felt like something slimy was slowly crawling down her throat, but nodded.

Malfoy's evil grin returned and he held out his hand to perform the spell. Hermione reluctantly took it, choking on her own voice as she said the words that would make her bound to this promise until one of the two of them died. She only relaxed when he vowed that he would never speak of horcruxes to a single soul, that Goyle's memory would be modified and the copy destroyed, and he wouldn't let on to anyone that he knew anything about their plan.

When they were finished, Hermione lowered her hand slowly and picked up her notebook, placing it protectively in her bag. She shivered when she realized Malfoy hadn't moved, but hoped that he wouldn't stop her from leaving. It seemed like all would be well for the night, until—

"Now."

Hermione stared at him blankly for a moment, hoping she had misheard, but the look on his face told her otherwise.

"You heard me," he smirked. "Put your books down."

Having lost all feeling in her body, Hermione did as she was told, all the while keenly aware of his eyes following her every movement. She was shaking from head to toe, but she had made the Unbreakable Vow—there was no turning back.

* * *

Ron paced the common room uneasily. She had said she was going to make the meeting as short as possible, but it had been almost two hours now and she still wasn't back. What if something happened to her? What if she had been taken to Voldemort? He started to panic, but decided to assume that everything was fine for right now. If she still hadn't returned by morning, _then _he would really start to worry.

Two and a half hours. He was checking his watch practically every ten seconds, his eyes almost constantly on the portrait hole. Three hours. Maybe he should go looking for her, find out if she was even still in the castle—

_The Marauder's Map! _He wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it sooner. Harry had left it for him, seeing as he wouldn't be at Hogwarts this year at all. In a frenzy he fished it out of his trunk, saying "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" almost too fast to actually be understood.

There she was, still on the first floor, still talking to Malfoy. What _were _they talking about? He forced himself to calm down and sat on the couch, for the first time realizing how tired his legs were from pacing, placing the open map on his lap. As he watched, Hermione finally left the room and started climbing the stairs while Malfoy descended towards the dungeons. He sighed audibly, watching her get closer and closer to the Gryffindor tower. When she was on the last flight of stairs he closed the map and placed it back in his trunk, preparing to leave as soon as she came through the portrait hole.

When she did come through, however, Ron immediately set down his trunk. She staggered through the portrait hole weakly, her eyes full of tears and her mascara smeared all over her face. He immediately crossed to her and took her in his arms, not caring what happened, just knowing that he was going to kill Malfoy for whatever it was. She buried her face in his shoulder, completely ruining his white shirt, but he couldn't have cared less. She tried to keep the tears in, but her sobs still echoed across the walls of the common room.

"It's all right," he said, running his fingers through her hair without thinking. "Hermione, everything's going to be all right. As soon as you're ready, we'll leave, get far away from here—"

"I can't leave," she said quietly in his ear.

Ron held her back so he could look into her tear-stricken face, completely shocked. "But we said—"

"I had to promise something," she said vaguely, her throat catching on the last word. "And I have to stay in the castle."

He felt a pit in his stomach. "What happened? What did you promise?"

Her bottom lip quivered. Without another word, she ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Ron called after her, but she didn't turn back.

Ron's was fuming. He stood in the middle of the common room, alone, clenching his fists. Whatever happened, whatever Malfoy made her do, was bad enough that she couldn't even talk about it. A thought flickered across his mind, but he almost immediately dismissed it. _Hermione wouldn't..._

He didn't really care what was actually going on. All that mattered was that Hermione was upset, and bound to a promise she didn't want to keep.

_I'm going to kill Malfoy if it's the last thing I do._

* * *

**A/N: **Should I continue this AU? What would you like to see? Please review!


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